Hello and welcome to the political orphanage a program for plucky misfits and problem solvers.

I'm your host Andrew Heaton.

And today we shall discuss

gerrymandering. The year 1275. The President? Edward Plantagenant.

Or technically the king of the king of the beta version of America, England.

And he's about to institute a foundational moment in the history of democracy.

Because in 1275, King Edward I of England

effectively establishes the House of Commons.

I don't think it becomes the House of Commons formally or technically until Edward the third,

but the basic idea of inviting commoners into Parliament begins with Edward the first at that time.

Now prior to that, Parliament existed, primarily to raise revenues for wars at the

discretion of the king, but it was composed entirely of lords and churchmen, you know, dukes

and bishops, that sort of thing. But Edward decides in his

parliament that each county will send two representatives on its behalf, what are known as

Knights of the Shire. And each town will pick two representatives or burgers like

Hamburg or Pittsburgh. Same route, basically Townies. Although in this instance, Townies

is more similar to the Chamber of Commerce

in emotional meaning than the people I used to make out with

at Smoky Joe's Dive Bar.

Now, despite the fact that Edward

begins this sort of representative process of common people

or at least rich merchants without noble blood

...